Zarafshan has its own airport, ZAJ, with several flights a week from Tashkent operated by Uzbekistan Airways. The flight takes a little over two hours. There is also a regular charter service for mine workers that occasionally has spare seats.
By road, Zarafshan sits at the end of a six-hour drive across the Kyzyl Kum from Bukhara, or a longer haul south from Nukus. Public transport is sparse — a few buses link the city to Navoi, the regional capital. Foreigners typically need a special permit to enter; arrange this through a registered Uzbek tour operator well before arrival. Without it you are likely to be turned around at the checkpoint outside town.